Read this essay ‘Your Taboo, Not Mine’ in the current issue of Time Magazine. I found his insights to be quite valid. So Arab media can run cartoons depicting Jews and symbols of the Jewish faith with imagery indistinguishable from that used in the Third Reich, but the Muslim world is off limits? (source) I think this goes along well with the links Haran has been providing over the last weeks.
Archive for February, 2006 Page 2 of 2
New Sufjan Stevens; need I say more? It’s a track that he contributed to a compilation CD called Mews Too: Asthamtic Kitty Compilation that was released this week. The track is called “Opie’s Funeral Song”, and comes courtesy of Scenestars. It’s a bare bones track featuring Sufjan, some backing vocals, his guitar and some keys that sounds in tune with Seven Swans. Enjoy.
I posted about Songbird in my delicious a few days ago, and learn today that they have released an alpha version to make the masses happy. I haven’t looked at it yet, but read this brief interview with the creator at Boing Boing, and found some of his views on what a media player should be exciting. He suggests that iTunes and others are basically like the archaic internet of the past, only accessible through AOL, Compuserve, and others. Why shouldn’t you buy your techno from a techno community, and your northern-bluegrass-rockabilly-jazz from another community. A one stop shop just can’t cater to everyone (though I guess one big shop can have all these little shops under one umbrella). It sounds interesting. Continue reading ‘Media Player Woes: Enter Songbird?’
Stopped for a coffee this morning at a Tim Hortons in Mississauga only to discover that effective February 6, 2006 the price of a large coffee was increased from $1.35 to $1.40. Typically I go with exact change, but today had a deuce. The crisis has been averted.
We see it all the time on the news, and in our lives — people saying stupid things. Well, I heard just one of those things on the Calgary news day. It seems a big storm came through town. A family was hosting a birthday party for their young children. The storm uprooted a 130 year old fir tree, and replanted it squarely on their back deck and sandbox. The fathers comments about the tragedy:
Our kids can’t use the sandbox now. I hate to think what would have happened it it was a nicer day out — our kids would have been in the backyard playing.
Hey Einstein, If it was a nicer day out the storm wouldn’t have been around to uproot the tree. Some people.
The 2006 concert season was officially kicked off last night at Lee’s Palace when The Sadies and their relentless barrage of guest artists set fire to the hollowed walls, and blew the roof clean off. We arrived around 10pm, just as the show was beginning. Having just seen The Sadies on New Years Eve I had an idea of what to expect: Alt-country with guest appearances by their parents and some dude from Blue Rodeo, as well as the co-billed Neko Case. What I wasn’t expecting was a show that could easily have been billed as a 2006 iteration of The Bands Last Waltz. “Come see The Sadies play their best songs as well as play back-up to other very talented, and potentially more famous, artists singing Sadies songs.”
The list of friends was exceptional. What started with, “We’d like to welcome to the stage some of our friends from Blue Rodeo,” ended with ALL the members of Blue Rodeo performing on stage (not just the aforementioned ‘dude’ Greg Keelor).The surprise highlight — amongst a flow of surprises — was when The Bands Garth Hudson joined The Sadies on stage to set fire to the keys. Neko Case didn’t seem to contribute as much to the show as her co-billing would have suggested, but none the less she added fantastic female vocals to many Sadies tracks.
I had to leave town for a little while / said you’d be good while I’m gone / But that look in your eyes, told me you told a lie / I know there’s been some carrying on.
The show (as well as the encore performance tonight) was being recorded for a live album they have in the works. The 2006 concert season continues this coming week with confirmed tickets for The Trews and Matt Pond PA, and plans to check out Controller.Controller.
(for another take on this show, read a review and see tons of photos here)
I hate when I miss cool things on TV. Last night on CBC they ran a documentary about K-OS collaborating with the CBC Radio Orchestra. Sounds like an interesting project. It should be hosted on line at the directors site shortly after the CBC airs it.
GPS and mobile phones are moving steadily into territory that will require interpretation of our laws in the face of mobile-stalking. Technology that can be used for good, will always be used for evil as well. I still await the day when I will be able to track a daily route, a road trip, or how far away that store really is. I know it can currently be done with a standalone GPS device, but by integrating it with the mobile phone the data is sent wirelessly, and data points plotted for viewing immediately. A company AccuTracking offers free tracking for personal use, and it is compatible with the Telus network here in Canada. The only catch is you must have one of these phones: Motorola iDEN i58sr, i88s, i325, i355, i265, i285, i605, i710, i730, i830, i850 or i860. If anyone is on Telus and uses one of these phones, do yourself a favour and try out this software.
Films are the now last refuge for the Telegram. Effective January 27, 2006, Western Union discontinued all Telegram and Commercial Messaging services. Does this really mean I can never send a telegram? I will never know the joy of answering my door to the cry of, “Telegram for Mr. Kyle Stashuk”, to which I will undoubtedly inquire, “Is it a singing Telegram?”. Those were the days.
(*note: It seems I can still send a Telegram, as Western Union isn’t the end all and be all of Telegrams. Telegrams.ca would be more than happy to take my money. $26 for 20 words via a phone order, and $30 for 100 words via an internet order. As well yellowpags.ca has a wide variety of singing and dancing options. I suppose I’ve never investigated the Telegram market. It seems to be alive and well. Who needs email anyway?)
We all knew it was possible. Bill Gate’s makes too much money to tax. The Federal government has to keep his file on a special computer, and he still get erroneous notices that he didn’t pay this or that. What a problem to have.[via uneasysilence].
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